|
Grammar in the Writing Classroom
Teaching grammar for the sake
of grammar is the wrong way -- so what is the right way to help
students understand the rich structures underlying language use? These
resources explore ways to bridge between direct grammar instruction
and a meaningful exploration of a writer's purpose and meaning.
The Language Arts article "Integrated
Word Study: Spelling, Grammar, and Meaning in the Language Arts Classroom"
(E) provides a framework for the coordination of spelling, vocabulary,
and grammar instruction through a range of reading and writing activities. The
ReadWriteThink lesson plan Sentence
Quest: Using Parts of Speech to Write Descriptive Sentences (E) outlines another option for exploring words
in action in the elementary classroom.
Read "To
Grammar or Not to Grammar: That Is Not the
Question!" (M) from Voices
from the Middle to learn ways that teaching a limited number of grammatical
concepts in contexts of their use is far better than isolated grammar
study in getting students to understand the grammatical
options and conventions available to them. The ReadWriteThink
lesson Every
Punctuation Mark Matters: A Mini-Lesson on Semicolons (M-S)
provides a strategy for teaching the semicolon to demonstrate to
students that grammatical choices create style in writing.
The January 2003 English Journal article "Why
Revitalize Grammar?" (S) outlines ways to prepare
writers to make difficult but informed choices in each rhetorical
situation they encounter -- from sentence structure to
copy editing conventions. Check out the complete January
2003 issue, focusing on the theme "Revitalizing
Grammar" for additional teaching ideas. Begin your discussion of
the choices writers make with the ReadWriteThink lesson
Choosing
the Best Verb: An Active and Passive Voice Mini-lesson (S), which
asks students to explore verb choice in a variety of online resources
then draw conclusions they
can apply to their own writing.
Check out the Teaching English in the Two-Year College article
"Welcoming
Grammar Back into the Writing Classroom" (C) for three approaches
to reintroduce grammar to modern process classrooms in ways that help
students write more effectively. The College Composition and Communication article
"Making
a Case for Rhetorical Grammar" (C) explores ways that we can invites
writers to participate in a discourse that takes seriously the connection
between writing and thinking, the interwoven relationship between what
we say and how we say it.
For even more resources on grammar in the writing classroom, check out
the NCTE title Grammar
Alive! A Guide for Teachers (G). Don't miss the book's
sample chapter, "Discovering Grammar," in the online bookstore for additional
teaching ideas. And for more free resources, take a look at the Grammar
Teaching Resource Collection (G).
NOTE: Free access to journal articles mentioned in this Inbox is provided
for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available
to journal subscribers only. This Inbox Idea was published 11-09-2004.
Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary,
M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, G=General).
|
